Trends of educational technology research: more than a decade of international research in six SSCI-indexed refereed journals

This study applied text mining methods to examine the abstracts of 2,997 international research articles published between 2000 and 2010 by six journals included in the Social Science Citation Index in the field of Educational Technology (EDTECH). A total of 19 clusters of research areas were identified, and these clusters were further analyzed in terms of productivity by country and by journal. The analysis revealed research areas with rising trends, stable status, and low attention. This study also identified areas of research emphasis by journal and research strength by country. A discussion of results through the lens of Critical Theory of Technology is also included. The authors hope to inform the EDTECH community about the trends of EDTECH research on topics and regions of research contributions. The authors also believe that such examination of trends can help facilitate fruitful discussions of directions for future research, and possible international collaboration across various geographical regions.     

A framework for developing pre‐service teachers’ competencies in using technologies to enhance teaching and learning

This paper presents a framework for developing pre‐service teachers’ competencies in using technologies to enhance teaching and learning. It focuses on building the capacity of teacher education institutions (TEI) based on six strategic dimensions: (1) vision and philosophy; (2) program; (3) professional learning of deans, teacher educators and support staff; (4) ICT plan, infrastructure, resources and support; (5) communications and partnerships; and (6) research and evaluation. This paper describes each of these six strategic dimensions and synthesizes these in the overall framework for developing pre‐service teachers’ competencies in generating technology‐enhanced teaching and learning.     

邏輯思維建安風骨悼念劉殿爵教授

劉殿爵教授過去了,大家要我說幾句話,我覺得十分惶恐.因為無論從輩份、學問、與劉教授的親近,抑或對他的瞭解而言,我部是不够資格的.當然,在過去二十五年間,我有幸和劉教授在中國文化研究所同事,得到他的指點和幫助,和他一起創辦了<中國語文通訊>雙月刊,更蒙他邀請我參加建立先秦兩漢典籍計算機數據庫,和編輯相關逐字索引,這都是緣分,也是我的幸運.不過,說來慚愧,由於學殖荒疏,精力分散,我對劉公實在說不上有多少拾遗補苴之功.     

Educational Reform and Research in Hong Kong: A Request for Comprehensive Knowledge

When Hong Kong is moving towards a knowledge society in the new millennium, research is clearly necessary to provide a knowledge base for educational development and reform to meet the challenges of globalization and high technology in the world. This report aims to review the education policy environment in Hong Kong and see whether research can be encouraged to support policy development and practice improvement. Particularly, the report will give a brief introduction to the recent initiatives in Hong Kong school education since the establishment of the Special Administrative Region in 1997 and discusses the potential research agenda to support the ongoing education reforms at the school system. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Personal strengths and perceived teacher support as predictors of Singapore students’ academic risk status

Abstract

This study explored the relative salience of students’ personal strengths and teacher support in predicting academic risk status. The participants were Secondary One (S1, Grade Seven) students from Singapore who scored below the cohort’s mean score in a national test administered at the end of primary education, and were identified as low risk (n = 309) or high risk (n = 396), based on their S1 achievement score in the English Language subject. Logistic regression analysis was conducted with academic risk status as criterion variable and the following potential predictors: students’ background variables (i.e. socio-economic status, cognitive ability and initial achievement), personal strengths, teacher–student relatedness, and teacher autonomy and competence support. After controlling for the effects of the students’ background variables, teacher trust emerged as the strongest (negative) and most stable predictor of high-risk status; teacher alienation and teacher–student communication were found as significant positive predictors of students’ placement in the high-risk group.     

Computer-based collaborative problem-solving assessment in Taiwan

Abstract

The current study explores students’ collaboration and problem solving (CPS) abilities using a human-to-agent (H-A) computer-based collaborative problem solving assessment. Five CPS assessment units with 76 conversation-based items were constructed using the PISA 2015 CPS framework. In the experiment, 53,855 ninth and tenth graders in Taiwan were recruited, and a multidimensional item response analysis was used to develop CPS scales and represent the students’ collaboration and problem solving performance. The results show that the developed H-A approach is feasible for measuring students’ CPS skills, and the CPS scales are also shown to be reliable. In addition, the students’ CPS performance scores are further explored and discussed under the PISA CPS framework.     

The Influence of an Inclusive Education Course on Attitude Change of Pre‐service Secondary Teachers in Hong Kong

Since the mid‐1990s in Hong Kong there has been a slow but obvious shift from expecting students with disabilities to be educated in segregated special schools to providing more opportunities for them to be educated alongside their mainstream peers. Pre‐service teacher training institutions have begun to offer modules of study in order to assist mainstream teachers in coping with greater diversity in their classes. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the adequacy of an inclusive education module on the attitude change of pre‐service teachers in Hong Kong. A convenience sample of over 200 pre‐service secondary teachers in a B.Ed. (Honours) Programme at one university participated in the study. Data were obtained through a three‐part questionnaire to find out whether there were any substantial changes in their attitudes, concerns and confidence for inclusion before and after taking a module of study on inclusive education. Findings and implications are drawn in light of preparing teachers to cater for diversity in the schools in Hong Kong.